An alleged string of contentious interactions between a city of Granite Shoals administrator and a council member have resulted in a public statement which both lambasting the elected official, while offering possible solutions to remedy future issues.

The Granite Shoals City Council proposed an ordinance to standardize garbage dumpster regulations across all zones in the city, but some residents felt they were being directly targeted by the change.

Granite Shoals Mayor Will Skinner wants the city council to consider lowering the speed limits on smaller streets in the city limits. “I’ve been doing a lot of driving around the city and there are a lot of roads that aren’t wide enough to get two vehicles by,” he said at the Sept. 28 regular council meeting. “We do see a lot of speeding down these roads. “A lot of kids are out there,” he added. “I don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”

At the request of one councilman, city of Granite Shoals officials will begin inquiring about the steps required – and the associated costs – to become a “dark sky” community. Councilman Phil Ort raised the topic at the Tuesday, Sept. 28 city council meeting following his return from vacation at Yellowstone National Park.

Granite Shoals officials will update the municipality’s personnel policy, including pandemic-related time off, to maintain compliance with state law after two legislative bills were signed into law recently.

The Granite Shoals City Council unanimously approved a fiscal year 2021- 22 budget with an approximate $24,000 surplus in the general fund and a tax rate equal to last year’s rate, which will lead to higher tax bills for residents. The council conducted the final public hearing on the budget at the Tuesday, Sept. 14 regular council meeting; the final public hearing for the tax rate was held at the Thursday, Sept. 9 special called meeting.